Welcome to Saint George Church

ORTHROS/MATINS AT 9:30 AM   

DIVINE LITURGY AT 10:30 AM

Celebrated in English & Greek

JOIN US!

All are Welcome

Visit us on our web site and on  facebook.

"...I was a stranger and you welcomed me...."

WELCOME TO SAINT GEORGE CHURCH. We hope you will return and join us on Sundays and to participate in our various programs as you are able. Fellowship hour follows Divine Liturgy and we welcome you to join us for fellowship, food and refreshments. Visit us online to learn about our church and our various programs. Sign up for our weekly bulletin and become a supporting member at www.SaintGeorgeNYC.org.

VIEW THE COMPLETE MATINS SERVICE FOR TODAY IN ENGLISH & GREEK HERE.

ST GEORGE PHILOPTOCHOS: Our first general meeting for the new ecclesiastical year will be on Sunday, October 1 in the second floor board room area. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. All parishioners welcome.

PARISH GENERAL MEETING: We will hold a General Meeting of St George Parish members on Sunday, October 15 following Divine Liturgy. We will offer a vision for ministry at Saint George, outline an administrative structure, review finances and prepare for fall parish council elections on Sunday, December 3. 

Choosing Suitable Candidates for the Parish Council: Parishioners are often nominated as candidates for the Parish Council because of their education, business experience or legal background.  The best parish council members are not necessarily those who are business-oriented, but rather, those who are Church-oriented and Christ-centered.  To be a good council member, one must be active in the worship and sacramental life of the Church.  The best candidates are easy to find – they are in church.

 Leaders don't create followers.

They create more leaders

(Tom Peters)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

Saint George Church Welcomes

Basile the Commedian

for an evening of laughter and fellowship

in our new 2nd floor fellowship room

cabaret seating is limited to 100

Saturday Evening, December 2

VISIT OUR MINISTRIES PAGE: CLICK HERE

“Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15)

MARILENA'S MEALS
Join our Saint George Marilena's Meals program, preparing and delivering 70 meals each month and feeding those in need in New York City on the last Sunday of each month. Preparers and deliverers are welcome! If you have a car, please volunteer to drive. All volunteers please check in with Marilena in the church hall when you arrive Sunday morning. Thank you!!!

June will be our last Marilena's meals until we resume in September. October Marilena's meals was sponsored by Zaphra Reskakis and Helen Vitelas. November was sponsored by Maria & Taso Pardalis. December was sponsored by Efstathia "Soula" Lolis. January was sponsored by Terri & John Skiadas. February was sponsored by Dina Manos. March was sponsored by Cally Kordaris. April was sponsored by Kate and Luke Swezey-Scandalios. May was sponsored by Alexia and Katerina Skiadas. June is sponsored by Alexandra Dimitrakakis. September is sponsored by Darrin Dayton in memory of his grandparents George & Edna Gallanis. October is sponsored by Nick & Tina Plagos. November is sponsored by George, Cindy and Sophia Koumbaroulis. THANK YOU!

Maria P. Tsakos

Saint George Sunday School

Our School Year Has Ended

Many thanks to Elena, Alexandra and Christopher, our teachers, for nurturing, encouraging and guiding our children in the faith. Thanks to all the parents for bringing their children faithfully to church on Sundays to participate in worship, Sunday School and fellowship.

Sunday School is held from October - May following Holy Communion near the library on the 2nd floor. Just before Holy Communion, Fr Jim invites the children to come forward to the seats behind the pulpit where they will be offered a brief sermon/reflection, after which Holy Communion is offered and then the children proceed Upstairs.  Parents are welcome to escort children upstairs and to assist as needed.

THANK YOU TO OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL FACULTY We are blessed to have three excellent teachers for our Sunday School this year: Elena L, Alexandra S. and Christopher S. All love the kids and love teaching them about the faith. Elena L, (PhD) is a post doctoral researcher at Columbia University Medical Center. Alexandra S is a lawyer by profession and a long-time member of Saint George Church. Christopher S. received an MDiv from St Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. Jim serves as spiritual advisor to our Sunday School.

Parents are asked to complete a Sunday School Registration Form and give it to the teachers. Parents are welcome to help with bringing the children downstairs and as needed during class.

AFTER SUNDAY SCHOOL PROJECTS  The children are engaged in projects following Sunday School ranging from art projects to community service projects. The children enjoy painting & building various art & design projects. They have participated with fun science projects and have assisted with preparing Marilena's meals.

This past spring, and again this winter, our children assembled 100 emergency hygeine packets for IOCC - International Orthodox Christian Charities (www.iocc.org/take-action/assemble-emergency-kits). The packets are warehoused near IOCC headquarters in Baltimore so that they may be shipped on short notice when emergencies arise anywhere in the world. Supplies for the preparaton of 100 hygeine packets last spring were provided by Cally Kordaris. This project will be repeated by the Sunday School again in the fall. To be a one-time sponsor of this project, the cost is $500. Contact FrJimK@goarch.org.

Do Your Best: A traditional American proverb says, “God makes this request of his children: Do the best you can – where you are, with what you have, now.” The story of Jesus Christ feeding the 5,000 illustrates this through the boy’s offering of all that he had – five loaves and two fish. This boy did his best with what he had, and Jesus used it to perform an incredible miracle.

We are Stewards of the Gospel: We are called to guard the Gospel message, but not to hoard it. We are instructed not to hide our light under a bushel. As we share the voice of Christ, the message we share is one of hope, truth, grace, divine power, life and invitation. In this busy, ever-changing world, His voice of wisdom is needed to guide us in discerning what is good, what is true and what will bring us closer to Him and to one another.

Saint George Church seeks to offer:

1. A sense of Peace and Presence of God in worship;
2. Opportunities to Serve Others;
3. Meaningful opportunities for Fellowship;
4. Education in aspects of the Faith for all ages; and
5. A well-maintained and inspiring place of worship & fellowship

    SAINT GEORGE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Our mission is to bring together young professional members & friends of St George Church to form stronger friendships through events & activities. We accomplish our mission through Laughing, Learning and Giving, alternating between social, philanthropic and spiritual activities. Questions or Ideas? Contact Sarah at sgalanis@hotmail.com . Contact Sarah at sgalanis@hotmail.com to be added to the YP e-list.

 VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF SAINT GEORGE

  ST GEORGE CHURCH 2nd FLOOR UPDATE

The 2nd floor renovations are nearing completion. We are awaiting the arrival of a 10 foot tall stained glass window from a church in England dating to the 1880s. This has been donated by an individual that visited our parish and was moved by our hospitality. The window, which has been restored, will be installed & back-lit on the west wall.

We are also installing a stair-lift to assure that all are able to participate in gatherings and events on the second floor.

Most of the steam pipes rising through the church space have been removed and the holes in the ceiling have been closed. Potential water damage to walls & iconography from occasionally leaking steam pipes has been eliminated and past damage has been repaired and painted.

The aging florescent lights and wiring above the icons lining the walls of the church have been replaced with LED lights. The beautifully restored icons may now be enjoyed with brighter, more even lighting at a fraction of the energy cost. They also run cool and are easier on the artwork.

The New Saint George Church Library has been Built

Donations of Books are Welcome

Many thanks to Dean Pardalis and George Xerakias of APEX Design, our general contractors, for providing their expertise and services at no cost to the church, while donating many materials and resources to our ongoing renovation of Saint George Church.

Thank you all for your support.

Bible Reading  In private study, when a Christian profitably reads the Bible, receiving inspiration and strength from it, family members, friends, relatives and even acquaintances will inevitably notice the difference. Any person who comes into contact with such a Christian cannot but notice the growing peace, love and inner assurance - the spirit of Christ - in that Christian, and will frequently ask (if not ask, certainly think) what gives that person such strength and radiance. God will provide many opportunities to the growing Christian for sharing with others his or her experience with the Bible. What better witness for the truth of the Christian faith than a solid Christian life nourished by Holy Scripture and radiating true Christian love at home, at Church and at work? The Christian's own life becomes a kind of gospel, a living Bible, in which other people observe, read and experience the truths of God in action.

From Bread for Life, by Father Theodore Stylianopoulos 

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education

PROSPHORO (offering bread)
A prosphoro (Greek for offering) is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian liturgies. The term originally meant any offering made to a temple, but in Orthodox Christianity it has come to mean specifically the bread offered at the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist). We are blessed at Saint George that Kyria Dina Manos bakes prosphora for us as needed. This is a very special ministry and we thank God for Kyria Dina's service to our church.

WINE FOR HOLY COMMUNION If you would like to offer wine to be used for the preparation of Holy Communion at Saint George Church, you are welcome to do so. The sweet wines that we use for Holy Communion are: Mavrodaphne, Commondaria and Nama Byzantino.

STEWARDSHIP OF FAMILY 

Throughout our lives and the roles we assume within the family, we are stewards of the love, authority, trust and respect that exist among members of the family. Unlike material possessions, these are not diminished by use. But if mishandled, they can be lost. Love, authority, trust and respect require the most diligent stewardship, because once they are lost, they are most difficult to recover.

OUR CALLING:

Research shows that most unchurched Americans would come to church if invited. As the visible presence of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, we are called to witness to those within and those outside the community of believers.  If we believe that in Orthodoxy we have the fullness of the Truth, then we have the great responsibility to share it with all people. The very nature of this mission implies creative witness within society in word and in deed. Bring a friend to Church!

SUNDAY PARKING: is available for $10 at ICON Parking on 54th St just east of 8th Ave. Bring your ticket to the candle stand to be validated. Effective from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM after which regular rates will apply.

“Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea

until we have someone to forgive.”

C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

 What is Christian Stewardship?

 Stewardship is caring for the needs of others.

 Stewardship is offering one’s self to God as He offered Himself to us.

Stewardship is what a person does after saying “I believe…” as proof of that belief.

 Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership

Click here to set up regular or 1-time stewardship contributions to St. George Church.

Christ’s Invitation to become disciples

(Matthew 4:18-23)

 Fr Luke Veronis

 “Come and follow me!” On one hand it seems like such a simple invitation, and yet, when one understands the implications, it demands a radical response!

“Follow me,” Jesus calls out to Peter, Andrew, James and John as they fish. “Come,” he challenges them, “Leave your fishing, leave your livelihood, leave your families, leave life as you presently understand it, and follow me on another path, follow me on an unknown road in life, follow me in a radically new way of living!”

How many of us would willingly follow Christ, if it meant we had to leave our families, leave our profession or livelihood, leave all with which we are familiar, and trust Him wherever He may lead?!?

Christ’s invitation presents a dilemma not only for his first disciples, but to all future generations, including each one of us. Are we willing to trust Jesus and follow Him, leaving the ways of the world? Are we willing to follow Him and leave behind our world of fear, hatred and violence? Are we willing to follow Him and seek something more than the superficial pursuits and pleasures of many of us? Are we willing to follow Him and set aside our destructive habits and sinful ways, even casting aside our lives of guilt and regret?

To follow Jesus means searching for eternal meaning and significance in our prosperous, yet shallow society. To follow Jesus implies entering into His kingdom of divine love and finding rest for our souls. To follow Jesus will lead us into His house of peace which passes all understanding, and into a secure home where unending joy reigns even in the darkest moments of life.

The invitation can be intimidating, yet simultaneously beautiful. “To live in the world without belonging to the world,” the noted author Henri Nouwen writes, “summarizes the essence of the spiritual life. The spiritual life keeps us aware that our true house is not the house of fear, in which the powers of hatred and violence rule, but the house of love, where God resides.”

Jesus Christ’s invitation does not call us to abandon the world, becoming hermits isolated from society. Instead, He invites us to live fully in the world, but not be of this world, to live in this society, but to realize that our citizenship is not in this country, but only in heaven itself. Of course, as followers of Christ we live in the world as other people do, but we follow a different drummer than most, we look at life from a different perspective, we possess a bright light in the midst of a dark and often confused generation. When hatred attacks, we love. Wherever injury hurts, we forgive and heal. When doubt persists, we plant seeds of faith. Where sadness overwhelms, we share the joy of our Lord. When darkness threatens, we shine forth the light of Christ!

Follow me! Our Lord Jesus calls us to follow Him not out of this world, but on a different path in this world. In His High Priestly Prayer, Christ asked His Father, “Do not remove [my disciples] from the world, but protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”

As followers of Jesus, we must understand this fundamental and essential point of our Christian journey – we do not belong to this world! This world offers its worries and anxieties, its superficial busyness and activity, its endless urgencies and emergencies, its pettiness and vindictiveness, its guilt and anguish, its pain and sorrow. Christ calls us to leave this world, and to enter into a new realm of existence, a new realm of abundant living!

The reign under which we live is the kingdom of a loving God. In His reassuring embrace, we find comfort and peace; in His way of life, we discover meaning and purpose; under the guidance of His Holy Spirit, we realize our full potential as beloved children of Almighty God!

“Follow me” is an exciting invitation into a new way of life, into a dynamic, vibrant life in Christ. And the most exhilarating aspect of this existence is that no exterior, unexpected event in life can pull us away from our new life in Christ. Whether a sudden illness, an unexpected tragedy, a heartrending disappointment, or any other event out of our control – none of these necessarily have the power to pull us out of the security of this kingdom of God in which we choose to dwell. So, will we accept this invitation and begin living out our new life in Christ?

Well, the first half of today’s Gospel reading invites us, and challenges us, to follow Jesus into His house of love. Yet the Gospel reading doesn’t stop there. Our Lord invites us to come with Him, but not simply to come and rest. Of course, He wants us to rest and renew ourselves, and fulfill our potential by becoming the new creation He meant us to be. But once we do that, He then blesses us with a meaningful task – “Follow me,” Jesus called out to Andrew and Peter, “and I will make you fishers of men.” He offers His new disciples the great privilege and responsibility to take part in His ministry of love.

Just as Jesus invites His disciples to come and enter into a new, abundant life in Christ, He then wants His disciples to go out and invite others to enter into this same house of love. No longer will Peter and Andrew, James and John be fishing for fish, but now they will be fishing for people. They will go from working as fishermen who sustain their own families, to working with all people and offering everyone an opportunity for this same radical new life.

Everyone who becomes a disciple of Jesus then has the sober privilege and responsibility to go out and invite others to discover this same life as well. These past weeks we have highlighted the feast of Pentecost, Missions Sunday, and even my recent trip to Albania, and now we are preparing our Missions Team that will be going to Project Mexico.  Each of these events reminds us of our responsibility to participate in Christ’s ministry - to become witnesses of God’s love to the world. And we do this in simple ways: by inviting our friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others to also follow Him. Invite others to come and follow us to Church. Invite them to follow us to Bible Study. Invite them to join our Christian fellowship. Simply invite others to come and see for themselves. That shouldn’t be too difficult or threatening for us to do, and it can be our first important step to fulfilling the great task Christ has called us to do!

As we reflect upon our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel to “Follow Me,” let each of us make a decision to first of all accept His invitation and truly enter into His house of love ourselves, and then to go out and invite others to join us on this exciting journey of new life!